According to our e-commerce and big-box retail overlords, the hottest toy this holiday season was the L.O.L. Surprise! Bigger Surprise. It didn’t reach fist-fighting-in-store-aisles levels of frenzy; it’s no Tickle Me Elmo, and it’s not 1996. But, according to NPD Group, a market research firm, L.O.L. Surprise! was the best-selling toy brand of the year (excepting December, for which sales numbers haven’t been released), and L.O.L. Surprise! Bigger Surprise was the top-selling toy in November.So, what is the L.O.L. Surprise! Bigger Surprise? It is a glittering, baby-pink plastic suitcase that one buys without knowing what’s inside. It is filled with doe-eyed plastic dolls and many sparkly accessories…

NEW YORK (Reuters) - Tens of thousands of revelers will jam into New York’s Times Square on Monday to await the midnight descent of the glowing crystal ball that has marked the arrival of the new year in the famed Manhattan crossroads for more than century. Christina Aguilera, New Kids on the Block and Sting are among the musical performers who will entertain throngs filling the streets ahead of the ball drop, the focal point of New Year’s Eve celebrations across the United States. This year, the Times Square Alliance, which promotes local businesses and organizes the event, has chosen to honor press freedom after a year…

NEW YORK (Reuters) - Equities around the world rose on Monday, with Wall Street edging up in choppy trading as hints of progress in the trade dispute between the United States and China provided a rare glimmer of optimism in what has been a punishing end of year for markets. FILE PHOTO: Traders work on the floor of the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE) in New York, U.S., December 28, 2018. REUTERS/Jeenah MoonThe U.S. benchmark S&P 500 stock index advanced after U.S. President Donald Trump said he held a “very good call” with China’s President Xi Jinping on Saturday to discuss trade and claimed “big progress” was…

(Reuters) - A California toy company has sued Louis Vuitton to stop the French luxury goods maker from interfering with its sales of a slime-filled, poop-shaped toy purse for children, Pooey Puitton. FILE PHOTO: The logo of the Louis Vuitton brand is seen outside a Louis Vuitton store in Paris, France, August 5, 2018. REUTERS/Regis DuvignauIn a complaint filed on Friday in Los Angeles federal court, MGA Entertainment Inc said no reasonable consumer would mistake Pooey Puitton, which retails for $59.99, for costlier Louis Vuitton handbags. MGA called Pooey Puitton protected parody “designed to mock, criticize, and make fun of that wealth and celebrity” associated with Louis…

HOUSTON (Reuters) - Oil prices slipped 1 percent on the final day of the year, en route for their first annual drop in three years as fears of a slowing global economy and emerging supply glut outweighed impending production cuts from OPEC nations. FILE PHOTO: A pump jack operates in the Permian Basin oil production area near Wink, Texas U.S. August 22, 2018. REUTERS/Nick Oxford/File PhotoBoth oil benchmarks are down more than a third this quarter, the steepest decline since the fourth quarter of 2014. For the year, U.S. crude has lost more than 25 percent, while Brent is off by more than 21 percent. A tweet…

BEIJING (Reuters) - The pace of reform in China will not stagnate and it will open its door wider still to the outside world, President Xi Jinping said on Monday in his New Year message, as he also warned of challenges ahead. FILE PHOTO: Chinese President Xi Jinping prepares to leave at the end of an event marking the 40th anniversary of China's reform and opening up at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing, China December 18, 2018. REUTERS/Jason LeeXi has repeatedly pledged his support for reform this year, as China marks 40 years since landmark changes to its economic model, amid mounting pressure to…

LONDON (Reuters) - Iran’s Revolutionary Guards said on Monday they plan to upgrade their speed boats in the Gulf with radar-evading stealth technology and new missile launchers as tensions rise between Tehran and Washington in the vital oil shipping route. FILE PHOTO: Iranian Revolutionary Guards speed boats are seen near the USS John C. Stennis CVN-74 (not pictured) as it makes its way to gulf through strait of Hormuz, December 21, 2018. REUTERS/Hamad I MohammedEnding a long absence of U.S. aircraft carriers in the region, the USS John C. Stennis entered the Gulf last week, and was shadowed by the Revolutionary Guards’ speed boats. There have been…

JERUSALEM/AMMAN (Reuters) - Israel protested to Jordan on Sunday after the spokeswoman for the government in Amman was photographed stepping on the Israeli flag during a meeting with trade unionists. Jumana Ghunaimat, Jordan’s minister for media affairs and communications and the government spokeswoman, on Thursday walked over an Israeli flag painted on the floor of the headquarters of Jordan’s professional unions in Amman. She was on her way to attend a meeting between Jordanian Prime Minister Omar al Razzaz and union representatives. Razzaz, however, entered the building through a rear door, avoiding having to walk over the flag. Israel’s Foreign Ministry issued a statement on Sunday deploring…

(Reuters) - Floyd Mayweather came out of retirement briefly to score a lucrative victory in an exhibition boxing match in Japan over kickboxer Tenshin Nasukawa that will do more for his bank balance than it did for the reputation of combat sports. Boxing - Floyd Mayweather v Tenshin Nasukawa - Saitama Super Arena, Tokyo, Japan - December 31, 2018 Floyd Mayweather knocks down Tenshin Nasukawa in the first round REUTERS/Issei KatoThe 20-year-old, who is unbeaten in professional kickboxing and mixed martial arts, was sent crashing to the canvas three times in the first round by Mayweather, leading the Japanese fighter’s corner to throw in the towel. The…

DHAKA (Reuters) - Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina on Monday rejected opposition complaints of vote rigging and said people had gone to the polls enthusiastically in a largely peacefully general election that her ruling alliance swept with a landslide. Hasina won a third straight term in Sunday’s election, with alliance led by her Awami League winning 287 of the 298 seats for which results had been declared, the Election Commission said. But the opposition rejected the result and called for a fresh vote, complaining of what it said was widespread rigging. Hasina dismissed complaints of cheating and the chief election commissioner rejected the opposition demand for a…